


a little more than a flea circus

by coramalias



Series: let obi-wan be happy (╯◕_◕)╯ [2]
Category: Jurassic Park (1993), Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Jurassic Park Fusion, Canonical Character Death, F/M, M/M, Manipulative Sheev Palpatine, Obi-Wan being incredibly awkward around children
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-24
Updated: 2017-08-17
Packaged: 2018-12-06 07:26:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,495
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11595774
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/coramalias/pseuds/coramalias
Summary: Dinosaurs and man, two species separated by 65 million years of evolution, have just been suddenly thrown back into the mix together.  How can we have the faintest idea of what to expect?*the Jurassic Park/Star Wars crossover that no one asked for





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> *a lot of the plot-related dialogue is from the movie, especially in the beginning, which i obviously don't own and claim no credit nor financial gain for. pls don't sue me kathleen.

The island was remote, 190 km off the coast of Costa Rica. Small, relatively, and recently stripped from the native population. The humidity was stifling, new inhabitants finding themselves surrounded in a haze of heat and mosquitoes. A quartet of men made their way up a grand stone staircase leading to what would soon be quite a spectacular park visitor’s center, once construction was complete.

The man at the front of the group was near elderly. His greying hair was swept back, sweat from the ample heat causing it to stick to his head in a manner wholly unflattering. He was dressed in a light cotton button-up and slacks. His cane tapped sharply on the stone steps as he ascended ahead of his companions.

Behind him, on either side, followed two potential investors. They were dressed much more casually than he, not even attempting to reconcile professional attire with the heat they were wading through. They nodded as he gestured to the scenery being constructed before their eyes, details in artistry added to even the smallest of features. After all, they had spared no expense.

The final man wandered further back from the rest. He was younger than the rest by far, at most in his late 20s. His hair was tied in a bun at the top of his head, wisps that had fallen out soaked and sticking to his neck. From first impression, most would consider him akin to an explorer on a safari. He wore light cargo shorts and a button-up, over which was a darker vest. He had ample pocket space as well as a two-way radio receiver clipped to the front pocket of his vest. Strapped across his back was a rifle loaded with tranquilizing darts. He surveyed the men in front of him, peripherally aware of their surroundings at all times.

“Ah, my dear boy,” The elder man approached the younger once they reached the massive doors, “would you inform Mr. Tarkin that I will need a helicopter ready? I have an appointment to bring additional guests in four hours, and I would rather not be late.”

The last words were hushed, only for them to hear. The elder man had angled his body away from his other two companions and focused intently on the man in front of him. The younger nodded minutely.

“Yes, father.”

***

The investors had committed. Of course, with the persuasion of Sheev Palpatine, there had been no doubt in Anakin’s mind that they would.

One more tour was scheduled before the staff abandoned the island for the night. There was a storm headed in and, as a precaution, all non-essential staff would be leaving in the next fifteen hours. Plenty of time to make it to the mainland before the storm hit, and certainly not something that hadn’t happened before, but something in Anakin’s gut tightened uncomfortably at the prospect.

The newcomers were wide-eyed and awed at the sights that greeted them on Isla Nublar, but then again all newcomers were like that at first. There were parades of lawyers, investors, and recruited geneticists brought to the park week after week. Giddy, and eager to exploit their newfound toy for all the money in the world.

Anakin observed the group as they approached the velociraptor paddock. There were four of them, including his father. Two of them, a man and woman, stood closer together than the rest. They alone captured Anakin’s attention. They were dressed similarly, and practically, all things considered. The woman wore a sleeveless shirt underneath a loose button-up, open and breath-able in the afternoon heat. She was in shorts and hiking boots, dark hair pulled back in a simple Dutch braid. She reminded him a bit of Leia, twirling her finger around the end of her braid as Leia often did when she was nervous.

The man standing beside her was taller, but only somewhat. A strip of brightly colored cloth was tied around his neck. He wore dark sunglasses and a brimmed tan hat. His hand rested low on the woman’s back, subconsciously placing himself slightly between her and the paddock. Anakin tilted his head in curiosity and pushed himself from the wall he was leaning against.

Most tourists were frightened of the animals, sure. They laughed it off and calmed their fears by sticking close to the security men, mostly him. These two were different. Their fear was deeper, morphed into active concern.

Anakin approached.

“Anakin, there you are,” his father smiled, as if him joining the tour had been planned, “Dr. Kenobi, dear Dr. Amidala, let me introduce you to Anakin Skywalker, the head of security on the island and my son. He’s dealt with the raptors more than anyone.”

They each shook his hand, introducing themselves. Kenobi turned his attention to him, folding his arms and facing Anakin fully.

“Tell me, what kind of metabolism do they have? What’s their growth rate?” His voice was higher than expected, with the hint of an accent, yet firm.

“They're lethal at eight months. And I do mean lethal.” He mirrored Kenobi’s pose, opposite to the other man.  

Amidala, watching the exchange over Kenobi’s shoulder, shifted uncomfortably.

“I've hunted most things that can hunt you,” he continued, “but the way these things move-“

“Fast for a biped?” Kenobi interrupted.

Anakin huffed a laugh, despite the distinct lack of humor in the situation. He nodded.

“Cheetah speed. Fifty, sixty miles per hour if they ever got out in the open. And they’re astonishing jumpers.”

“Yes, yes, yes,” his father interrupted, gripping Anakin’s arm tightly as he attempted to steer the tour away from the paddock, “which is why we take extreme precautions. The viewing area below us will have eight-inch tempered glass set in reinforced steel frames to-“

Kenobi ignored his tour guide, remaining focused on Anakin. “Do they show intelligence? With the brain cavity like theirs we assumed-“

“They show extreme intelligence,” He confirmed, ignoring the annoyed look his father shot at him, “even problem solving. Especially the big one. We bred eight originally, but when she came in, she took over the pride and killed all but two of the others. That one – when she looks at you, you can see she’s working things out. She’s the reason we have to feed them like this.”

The pair in front of him turned simultaneously to the steer being lowered into the paddock below.

“She’s had them all attacking the fences when the feeders came.”

Amidala took a hesitant step forward, peering down into the enclosure. “The fences are electrified, right?”

He nodded. “Right. But they never attack the same place twice. They were testing the fences for weaknesses. Systematically.”

Kenobi’s attention turned sharply to him once more.

“They remembered.” Anakin confirmed.

“Well,” his father said cheerfully, clapping his hands together in excitement. “Who’s hungry?”

***

Anakin allowed the tour to continue on to dinner, splitting from the group and continuing his rounds. He spent the next hour ensuring that the remaining enclosures on his checklist were functioning correctly to weather the approaching storm.

“Anakin,” his two-way radio crackled in his pocket. He pulled it out and responded.

“Yes?”

“There are people who wish to see you. Please come to the visitor’s center.”

Were Kenobi and Amidala interested enough to request to interview him further? He doubted it, but it was the only explanation he could think of.

That is, until he walked into the visitor’s hall and was promptly tackled to the ground.

“Dad!” Twin voices echoed in his only warning before he was sprawled out on with Luke and Leia wrapped around his waist snugly.

He looked down at them in awe. “What are you two doing here?”

“Grandpa brought us!” Leia told him cheerfully as he struggled to stand up without releasing the embrace of his children.

“We’re going on the first tour!” Luke said, grabbing his dad’s hand and tugging him toward where his grandfather and the rest of the tour were waiting.

“First tour?” Anakin echoed, looking up to find Ahsoka smiling at him in sympathy.

“Sorry,” she said, kissing him on the cheek and squeezing his shoulder gently, “I made them promise not to pounce on you like that.”

He paused for a moment to look over the trio. He had missed them terribly for the several months he’d been on the island. His twins, now twelve, had grown up so much. Leia’s hair had gotten longer, twin braids swinging past her shoulders. She was dressed in a tie-dyed tank top and bright purple shorts, something Anakin for the life of him couldn’t remember her owning before. She had a baseball cap on backwards and was grinning up at her father with unrestrained joy.

Luke had had a minor growth spurt – instead of being shorter than his sister, he was now taller by several inches. Two of his front teeth were still growing in, leaving gaps in his smile. Ahsoka had managed to get him into a park T-shirt, on which was the printed image of a snarling T-Rex. His hair had grown shaggy around the edges of his face. Anakin ruffled his hair and laughed at the way Luke’s nose scrunched up in annoyance.

Ahsoka was a sight for sore eyes as well. She had helped him on many professional projects in the past, following him across the globe as a hired expert. The two had become friends and he’d taken her under his wing in short time. She was a little sister to him, and the only other person he’d entrust to care for his children.

She had a similar outfit to Leia’s, and Anakin was increasingly suspicious that the tie-dye was homemade. Her dark hair was half up in two buns on either side of her head. She had a smudge of sunscreen on the side of her nose that stood out starkly against her dark skin, likely the unfortunate result of trying to put said sunscreen on Luke and Leia.

Anakin wiped away the smudge on his thumb with a smile and embraced his friend. “Good to see you, Snips.”

He heard his father begin speaking to his tour group once more.

“You three are going to have a little company out in the park. Spend time with our target audience. Maybe they’ll help you get the spirit of this place.”

Anakin left Ahsoka’s and his children’s embrace, pulling the twins along by their hands as he approached his father.

“What do you mean, ‘out in the park’?”

His father waived his hand flippantly. “No need to worry, my dear boy. They will be taking the first motorized tour of the entire park! You of all should know that no expense was spared for the visitors’ safety!”

His tone was cheerful, but Anakin could sense the steel underneath. It would not be beneficial to disagree. Anakin turned to Ahsoka.

“You’re going with them?”

“Of course,” she kneeled down to Luke and Leia’s height, smiling at them affectionately, “who would ever want to miss a tour of Jurassic Park?”


	2. Chapter 2

Dr. Kenobi had a very bad feeling about this.

He kept his apprehension mostly to himself, not wanting to ruin the excitement for the children in the back seat of the electric tour car. Or the woman next to him, if he was reading her correctly. She was more restrained than the children, but even she had leaned toward the window in anticipation as they approached the Dilophosaurus paddock.

“I read your book.” Said a tinny voice from the back seat.

Obi-Wan turned to face the boy behind him, looking up at him with wide blue eyes.

“Oh,” he replies, “yeah. Good.”

The boy smiled. “I’m Luke. Do you really think dinosaurs turned into birds? And that’s where all the dinosaurs went?”

Obi-Wan blinked. He didn’t know it was possible for someone so young to speak that fast.

“Well, uh, a few species may have evolved,”

Luke leaned forward, enraptured.

“-along those lines, yeah.”

“Because they sure don’t look like birds to me.” He said, matter-of-fact. “I heard a meteor hit the Earth and made like this one hundred mile crater someplace down in Mexico.”

Obi-Wan turned to the woman – Ahsoka, that’s what Mr. Skywalker had called her – with a silent plea for help.

“Luke honey,” Ahsoka said, “what about the diamond dust?”

“The diamond dust!” Luke cheered, bouncing in his seat a bit. “I heard about this in OMNI, about the meteor making all this heat that made a bunch of diamond dust? And that changed the weather and…”

The other child, the girl, caught Obi-Wan’s gaze and nodded in sympathy.

***

The tour continued uneventfully, no glimpse of the animals they had been promised. The T-Rex did not make an appearance either, despite the goat chained close to the paddock fence.

“What’s gonna happen to the goat?” Leia demanded. “He’s gonna eat the goat?!”

Obi-Wan shook his head as Ahsoka calmed the children with platitudes.

They watched the goat in anticipation for a few moments before the ride moved along once again. Despite their objections, Luke and Leia slumped back to their seats in disappointment.

Obi-Wan turned to Ahsoka, surveying her. He didn’t know her, but he couldn’t help but speak in the moment, frustrated by his evolving perspective of the park and the others’ unwillingness to see it.

“T-Rex doesn’t want to be fed,” he murmured to her, low enough that the children couldn’t overhear, “You can’t just suppress sixty-five million years of gut instinct.”

Ahsoka looked at him intently. She reminded him fleetingly of Mr. Skywalker, in that moment.

Then, she nodded.

“She wants to hunt.”

***

The Triceratops was beautiful. She was lying on one side, breathing heavily, and surrounded by the stray members of the park tour.

“Hello,” the startled man at her side said, “I’m Cody.”

“Are you her caretaker?” Obi-Wan asked as Padmé stepped forward without fear, hand outstretched to touch the snout of the animal in reverence.

Cody nodded, holding out his hand to shake. “Yes. I take it you’re the tour.”

Cody’s gaze caught on something behind Obi-Wan. He turned to see the children standing hesitantly back behind Ahsoka, eyes wide with fear.

“It’s okay,” Cody said kindly, “don’t be scared. She’s friendly.”

The children stepped forward cautiously, Leia keeping a tight hold on Luke’s hand.

“You can touch her.” Cody said, perhaps a bit belatedly, as Padmé pet the animal lovingly.

Obi-Wan stepped forward, resting his hand on the animal’s stomach and watching as it rose and fell.

“It’s beautiful, Padmé.” He breathed.

“It’s my favorite.” Padmé agreed, smiling up at Obi-Wan with tears in her eyes.

Obi-Wan returned her smile, heart swelling as he stared at the woman in front of him.

After a moment, Padmé looked away and toward the animal once more. She paused her affections, kneeling closer to her head, brows creasing in worry.

Behind him, Luke and Leia, accompanied by a curious Ahsoka, felt along the ridges of the Triceratops’ massive spine. Luke had snapped out of his hesitance and was babbling excitedly about everything he could recall about the Triceratops.

“Obi-Wan, look at this.”

Obi-Wan made his way over to the head, standing next to Padmé. She parted the creature’s mouth gently, making soothing noises, until the blisters on her tongue were visible.

“Micro vesicles.”  Obi-Wan said absently, fascinated.

She turned to Cody. “What are her symptoms?”

***

Nearly an hour later, storm looming overhead, the tour group was rushed back to the cars. Padmé insisted she stay behind with Cody and the Triceratops, and well… Obi-Wan had never been able to stop a determined Padmé from doing anything.

Before they parted, Padmé kneeled down next to Luke, who had been trailing after Obi-Wan in an attempt to catch his attention.

“If I know Dr. Kenobi, he’ll try to switch cars.” Padmé whispered conspiratorially, despite the fact that Obi-Wan could obviously hear her.

“You stick to him, Luke. It’ll be good for him.” She winked at the boy, who grinned at her in return.

As the tour cars made their way back to the visitor’s center, it was dusk. Rain fell overhead, fat drops of water pelting the glass tops of each car. Obi-Wan had been left in the back car with Luke, Ahsoka and Leia in the other. Joining them was the lawyer, a man Obi-Wan had frankly forgotten the name of but seemed recognizable to Ahsoka, considering she didn’t bat an eye when he followed them to the car.

Obi-Wan sat on the driver’s side and Luke in the passenger’s, his feet kicked up on the dashboard and still pelting Obi-Wan with questions. Obi-Wan’s head was tilted back, hat covering his face, trying his best to block out the incoming storm.

“So like I was saying, there’s this other book by a guy named Bakker? And he said dinosaurs died of a bunch of diseases? He definitely didn’t say they turned into birds.”

Obi-Wan hummed noncommittally.

“And his book was a lot fatter than yours.”

Obi-Wan raised his hat and met Luke’s earnest gaze, eyebrow raised. “Really?”

“Yours did have nice pictures, though.”

Before Obi-Wan could reply, a pop sounded and car stopped, lights switching off and plunging them into darkness.

“What’s going on?” Luke asked immediately, feet dropping from the dashboard and sitting up straight.

Obi-Wan tried the radio, unsuccessfully. “Radio’s out, too. Probably just a power surge or something.”

Luke nodded, but didn’t look convinced.

“Hey, it’s fine. Nothing to be scared about, just a little hiccup in the power.”

“I didn’t say I was scared.” Luke said with conviction.

“I didn’t say you were scared.”

Luke didn’t respond, merely drew his knees to his chest and hugged them.

***

In the control room of the visitor’s center, Anakin had a white-knuckled grip on the chair in front of him.

“Where did the vehicles stop?” He asked slowly, a breath away from falling apart in worry.

Mr. Windu, the one man in charge of the security technology in Jurassic Park, spun his chair to face Anakin. He took a deep breath, and Anakin’s heart sank.

“The Tyrannosaur paddock.”

***

_Boom._

Luke and Obi-Wan turned to each other simultaneously.

“What was that?” Luke asked.

_Boom. Boom._

“I don’t know.” Obi-Wan answered, only partially telling the truth. He had a hunch, and it wasn’t anything good.

_Boom. Boom. Boom._

In the car ahead, one of the doors opened. The lawyer came rushing out, sprinting out toward the tree line. Obi-Wan watched as he went, baffled.

“Where does he think he’s going?”

“Maybe he went for a walk?” Luke suggested quietly. Despite himself, Obi-Wan smiled.

The smile quickly disappeared. Between the two cars, the massive electric fence was collapsing, thick metal wire popping and swinging down to the ground in a cacophony. The pair watched in silent horror as a massive creature that could only be the T-Rex broke out of the enclosure.

Luke screamed.

Obi-Wan quickly covered the boy’s mouth, but too late. The T-Rex tilted its head toward their and released a roar that shook in the air around them.

“Don’t move!” Obi-Wan whispered shakily, not lifting his hand from Luke. “It can’t see us if we don’t move.”

The T-Rex made its way to their car. It sniffed around the perimeter, one large yellow eye peering in the windows. Luke was shaking, but stayed as still as he could. The T-Rex nudged the car slightly with its snout. The whole car jostled violently, Obi-Wan’s hand, still over Luke’s mouth, the only thing stopping another scream.

Another push, and the car flipped over completely.

Both of them had landed harshly on the Plexiglas roof, having long since abandoned seatbelts in an electronic car. He heard groaning metallic noises from above, and could only gather that the T-Rex must be chewing through the car. He crawled toward Luke, trying to get the panicked boy’s attention.

“Luke, can you move?”

“It’s gonna eat us!” Luke gripped Obi-Wan’s outstretched hands almost painfully.

“We’ll be okay,” Obi-Wan had to admit that he didn’t sound very convincing as the car sunk further into the mud under the weight of the T-Rex, “Can you move?”

“Yes,” Luke affirmed through tears, moving out from under his seat and close to Obi-Wan.

Then, someone was shouting. Someone who could only be Ahsoka. Through the shattered window Obi-Wan caught a glimpse of her, standing far from her car and waving a flare frantically.

The T-Rex abandoned them, approaching with deadly determination.

Obi-Wan rushed out from under the car. He struggled to pull himself through the overturned window but just barely managed, immediately turning and helping Luke out as well. He refused to look in the direction of the T-Rex and Ahsoka, but Luke was watching over his shoulder in horror.

“Ahsoka!” He cried out, blubbering through more tears.

“We have to get your sister,” Obi-Wan tried his best not to sound as shaken as he was.

He took Luke by the hand and ran to the other car. In the back seat was Leia, huddled in a ball and frozen in place. He opened the door but she didn’t acknowledge him.

“Leia, we have to leave. Give me your hand.” He reached out, palm open.

“Dr. Kenobi,” Luke voice quavered, body suddenly stiffening from where he clung to Obi-Wan’s leg, “it’s back.”

Obi-Wan froze. He glanced up to meet the stare of the T-Rex before him, searching the scene in front of it carefully for moving prey. Flesh and scraps of clothing clung to its teeth, the scent of fresh blood overwhelming. After a long and tense moment, the animal snorted. Obi-Wan’s hat flew off his head.

The creature moved its snout once more, lowering it to push on the car.

The car spun, Obi-Wan and Luke helpless to spin with it. The spinning motion pushed them closer to the edge of the enclosure, and to the massive plummet that entailed. Trapped between the car and the cliff, Obi-Wan knew they had no choice. They would either be crushed by the car, pushed off the cliff, or eaten by the Tyrannosaur.

“Luke, get on my back,” He said urgently, grabbing one of the loosened cables. Once Luke had a solid grip on his shoulders, he propelled the pair down into the enclosure, Leia’s car missing narrowly missing them as it was pushed over the edge.

***

Padmé bit her nails as she surveyed the scene in front of her. Skywalker was visibly distressed, pacing the length of the control room violently. Palpatine remained in place and in command near the front of the room, standing on the elevated platform and leaning heavily on the railing in front of him. He was more restrained than Skywalker, but no less furious at the runaway programmer that had thrown the park into chaos. Windu typed frantically, desperately attempting to override the sudden shutdown. A cigarette hung loosely from his mouth, burned almost to the end. Cody stood beside Padmé, arms folded tersely and observing the scene unfolding before them.

“I will kill Dooku. I will kill him.” Palpatine seethed.

“Are you getting anywhere with these procedures of yours? I mean, what’s the problem?” Padmé asked nervously, anxiety spiking further the longer that they were unable to contact Obi-Wan and the rest of the tour.

“I ran a key check on every stroke Dooku entered today. It’s all pretty standard stuff, until this one – “

“- Which one?” Skywalker interrupted, and the four of them surround Windu’s computer expectantly. He pointed to the screen.

“He’s turning the safety systems off. He doesn’t want anybody to see what he’s about to do.”

Skywalker released a near growl in frustration. Without thinking, Padmé grabbed his elbow in an attempt to steady him. He looked down at her sharply, but softened as he must have seen the obvious torment mirrored in her expression. He put his hand over hers and returned the touch.

“Now look at this next entry, it’s the kicker,” Windu continued, “Whatever it did, it did it all. But with the Keycheck off, the computer didn’t file the keystrokes. Only way to find them now is to search the computer’s lines of code one by one.”

“How many lines of code are there?” Padmé asked.

“Oh, about two million.” Windu sighed, leaning back heavily in his chair.

Padmé swallowed. No time at all, then.

“Father,” Skywalker said roughly, turning to face Palpatine for the first time that night, “let me take a gas jeep and bring back Luke and Leia.”

Palpatine studied him for a moment, then nodded. “Go.”

He started toward the door. Without hesitation, Padmé made her decision.

“I’m going with him.” She announced before turning and following Skywalker out the door.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if you haven't seen the movie or read the book, know this: ahsoka definitely did not die in this chapter! i mean she's not at peak health, but definitely still alive, no worries!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He didn’t know how to help them, other than to do his best to keep them from being eaten on the way back to the visitor’s center.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello friends i have returned

She had been in the tree.

She was in the car, and the car was on the track, and then it wasn’t and it was in the tree.

And she was in the tree, too, in the car and in the tree.

But she wasn’t anymore.

Dr. Kenobi had her secured with one arm on his hip. He didn’t smell very good: like muck, blood, and vomit. When she thought about it, that last one was probably her fault. Her mind was still foggy, but she didn’t think she handled the fall in the car very well.

His hat was missing. That was sad. She would be upset if anything happened to her hat. Ahsoka had bought it for her at a baseball game they went to after Leia had gotten straight As. ‘Soka bought her ice cream, too. Dad mentioned once that the ice cream on the island was the best in the world.

She was looking up at trees. She could just barely see the outline when moonlight filtered through the leaves. They were different from the trees at home. Smelled different, too, more heavy in the night air. They were pretty, though, in a way. She liked them much better when she wasn’t stuck in one.

As she became more aware, her grip on Dr. Kenobi’s shirt tightened on instinct. He looked down at her the best he could.

“Leia?” He asked gently. He stopped walking. She didn’t realize he had been walking.

“Are you back with us?” Her head was resting on his shoulder. She didn’t remember doing that.

“Leia?” Luke, this time.

“Luke?” That didn’t sound like her voice at all, too quiet. Luke didn’t seem to mind.

He didn’t look too great, either. There was blood on his forehead. That wasn’t good. ‘Soka said that head wounds could be really bad.

“Head wounds are bad,” Leia informed him, “you need a doctor.”

Luke frowned. Dr. Kenobi shifted her weight on his hip.

“Are you okay if I put you down?”

Leia nodded. Dr. Kenobi put her back on her own two feet. She wobbled a little, but was otherwise stable.

“You two are filthy.” She told them, scrunching up her nose.

Dr. Kenobi put a hand on her shoulder and squeezed gently. He was smiling at her, but it seemed off.

“I promise both of us will shower when we’re back at the visitor’s center, okay?”

Leia hugged her arms around her middle. She looked from Luke to Dr. Kenobi and back before settling on the latter.

“You won’t leave, will you?” Her voice wasn’t working right. She sounded much smaller than she meant to.

Dr. Kenobi’s smile faltered, but he squeezed her shoulder again.

“I won’t leave. I promise.”

***

He’d asked if she knew how to fire a rifle. After responding in the affirmative, he’d given her one. He hadn’t spoken to her since.

Under different circumstances, she might’ve tried to coax him out of his shell of parental panic. As things were, she wasn’t much better off. Her nerves were so shot with worry over Obi-Wan. Amplifying that further was the fear-induced adrenaline that came with the territory of risking one’s life.

The eerie silence surrounding them only encouraged her anxiety. She tightened her grip on the weapon in her lap uncertainly.

They approached the Tyrannosaur paddock.

“There they are,” She patted the Jeep’s dashboard urgently for effect. She exited the Jeep before Skywalker could completely pull over, not bothering with the door and instead hopping over the side and jogging toward the other car.

“Oh, God,” She breathed, fully taking in the sight before her. The car had been completely overturned and shattered. It was half sunken into the mud below and none of the windows remained intact, only ragged holes where they had been. One of the tires had been ripped from metal, hanging limply in a mass of shredded rubber.

The fence had been destroyed, a gaping hole right in front of the car.

Skywalker kneeled next to the car and peered in.

“They’re not here.” He said grimly before standing once more. Then, he froze.

“Where’s the other car?”

Her hand flew to her mouth in horrified realization. The other car was nowhere to be found.

“They must have left. Maybe the Tyrannosaur came back, or…” He trailed off, then cleared his throat, “We’ll search the perimeter. Maybe they waited nearby in case someone came.”

They scouted the area around the demolished car, but found no evidence of the missing tour group. Padmé started to grow uneasy in the ensuing silence. She was a paleobotanist. She had no experience with this sort of field work. Skywalker was experienced with the animals, but the man was not exactly at his peak focus at the moment.

The terrain beneath her feet changed suddenly, becoming noticeably slicker. She paused and kneeled to the ground, peering through the darkness to determine what she had found.

Amedda, the lawyer she had only known briefly as they arrived on the island together, stared back at her, unseeing.

Padmé let out an involuntary shriek and fell backwards. She managed to catch herself by flinging her hands out behind her, but upon doing so they were slicked with what she could now see was the dead man’s blood. Skywalker knelt down beside her and placed an arm around her shoulders.

“What’s wrong?” He was looking her over for injury.

Padmé shook her head. “I found Amedda.”

She swallowed.

“Well, half of him.”

He followed her gaze and frowned thoughtfully. He leaned forward, inspecting the corpse in front of them.

“These aren’t teeth marks. His… well, the bottom half of him, was torn off, not bitten. The Tyrannosaur ripped him in two.”

He turned back to Padmé, meeting her gaze steadily. She was abruptly reminded of Palpatine’s offhanded explanation of his son’s vehemence at the Velociraptor paddock.

_He’s been around apex predators his entire career,_ the man had said with a lighthearted chuckle, _he’s sometimes a bit too paranoid, hypervigilant for his own good. Not to worry, my dear: if there ever was an emergency in the park that required his expertise, my son would be only too happy to be of use again._

Their eyes held for a moment. She pushed herself away from the body and took his offered hand to help her back to her feet. Out of the overhanging silence, she heard a soft wheezing sound. She tightened her grip on his hand.

“What was that?” She whispered. He used her grip on his hand to leverage her behind him. He cocked his head slightly, scanning the tree line ahead of them. The noise came again, and she could tell that it was coming from somewhere just perpendicular to the derailed cars.

“An’kn,” a weak voice called out. Skywalker immediately dropped Padmé’s hand and ran toward the noise.

Ahsoka was buried underneath foliage, limbs askew at unnatural angles. Padmé approached but kept her distance. She found herself overwhelmed with nausea at the stench of blood in the air.

Skywalker had found Ahsoka’s hand in the debris and was holding it tightly. He brushed a swipe of grime from her cheek reverently and, despite the excessively poor lighting from moonlight filtering through the trees, she could almost see him smile.

“Ahsoka, where are you hurt?”

“M’ leg,” she mumbled, leaning into Skywalker’s touch, “Anakin.”

“It’s okay,” he said soothingly, “we’ll get you out of here.”

“Help me get her out.”

He didn’t look at Padmé, but his voice shifted subtly. It hardened from the soothing tone, became a touch more assertive. Padme swallowed down her nausea and stepped closer to the pair.

As they uncovered more of Ahsoka, Padmé noticed a sudden swell of blood. Alarmed, she pushed aside more foliage to find herself faced with Ahsoka’s legs in the open air. Both were near-crushed, flayed open and oozing blood slowly. She blinked in surprise at the sudden gore, the voice in the back of her head as of yet unfazed by the violence wondering how she was still alive with a wound like that.

She looked higher, and found two makeshift tourniquets wrapped tightly around the other woman’s legs.

“We have to keep her legs elevated when we move her.” Padmé pushed the last of the debris away from Ahsoka with renewed urgency. They had to get her medical attention as soon as possible. “Hold her head and chest, I’ll hold her waist and legs. Try to keep her as horizontal as you can.”

As carefully as they could, they moved Ahsoka to the bed of the Jeep. They placed her diagonally and sitting up, her wrecked legs laying as far away from the sides of the Jeep as they could to minimize any painful jostling. Anakin pulled a tarp from one of the cases propped behind Ahsoka’s back and wrapped it around her shoulders. She lolled her head to look at him and smiled weakly at the gesture.

 “Ahsoka,” he said roughly, “where are Luke and Leia?”

Ahsoka frowned and her eyes wondered from Anakin to the ground.

“Tried t’save them,” she mumbled, brows furrowing, “but Luke was in the other car. It was going to kill him. I didn’t want to leave Leia, Anakin, I’m so sorry…”

Tears welled in her eyes. Padmé thought she must be in some state of shock.

“Shh, it’s okay,” Anakin pulled the younger woman into an embrace. She leaned her weight on him heavily, “just tell me what happened.”

“Dr. Kenobi and Luke were in the other car. The T-Rex flipped it over, it was going to kill them. I took a flare from the back and tried to distract it. But, I left Leia. I don’t know what happened to them. The car went off the cliff.”

“The cliff?” Padmé repeated, startled. She could see Ahsoka nod from where her head was half- hidden in Skywalker’s hold.

“The T-Rex pushed it in the paddock.”

Padmé left the pair and sprinted to the hole in the fence. Sure enough, in the dim moonlight she could make out the distinct shape of the fallen car.

“Anakin, there it is!” She shouted, turning back to her companion with a relieved smile. “They could be down there!”

But Anakin wasn’t smiling. His attention was caught on her feet. Confused, she looked down as well. The pool of water she was standing in certainly seemed inconspicuous. She opened her mouth to question him, but before she uttered a sound a series of ripples jutted out from the puddle. Accompanying the ripples was a soft thud.

_Boom. Boom._

The noise was distant, but Padmé could guess what it was. She looked back to Anakin in alarm. He confirmed her fear.

“We have to go. Now.”

***

Luke was curled against his left side and Leia on his right, one under each arm. He fought his own weariness and longing for sleep, afraid that if his grip on the children loosened they could fall out of the massive tree they had situated themselves on.

Obi-Wan rested his head against the branch behind him and took in his elevated view of the park. The Brachiosaurus herd surrounded them, feasting on leaves surrounding the trio’s makeshift camp. The creature closest to him hovered uncertainly for a moment. Obi-Wan met her stare and let himself imagine, for a moment, that it was the same creature he had seen when he first arrived on the island.

She let out a massive huff of air at the intruding humans before continuing her search for food.

Leia whined in her sleep, clinging closer to Obi-Wan. He rubbed her back soothingly, or at least in a manner he hoped was soothing.

In some ways, he wished Padmé were there with them. She was much better with children than he. Luke had seemed to like her very much, even after only meeting her for a few moments. He didn’t know how to help them, other than to do his best to keep them from being eaten on the way back to the visitor’s center.

With that in mind…. in other ways, he was irrevocably grateful that Padmé was not with them. No matter how much better the children deserved, he would never want her in danger.

Rationally, he knew she had a much higher chance of making it back to the visitor’s center unharmed. He had seen Cody’s jeep while they studied the Triceratops. A gas-powered jeep would have no problem continuing through a power outage. Padmé was most likely at the visitor’s center by now, with all the protection the park could offer.

Rationalization didn’t stop Obi-Wan’s spike of worry as he heard the distinctive roar of the Tyrannosaur in the distance.

***

The moment after Padmé jumped into the jeep, Anakin jammed the key in the ignition and took off toward the visitor’s center.

They left not a moment too soon, as the T-Rex crashed through the foliage after them.

Padmé couldn’t help but scream, twisted around in her seat to watch the approaching creature in horror. She had a white-knuckled grip on the headrest of her seat. In the back, Ahsoka was hitting the back of Anakin’s seat with increasing force.

“Must go faster, must go faster,” she said urgently, crawling away from the threat as best she could.

The ground shook as the creature sprinted after them, rattling Padmé’s teeth on impact. Anakin swore when he glanced at the rear view mirror. He had already pushed the gas pedal to its limit, yet the T-Rex was still gaining on them.  

One of Padmé’s hands left the headrest and found Ahsoka’s shoulder, pressing her firmly to the back of her seat, in case Anakin’s swerving knocked her any closer to the creature.

The T-Rex snapped its jaws, straining to get closer to the jeep. Then, just when Padmé was sure it would overtake them, it slowed. It let out a frustrated growl and decreased in speed, until it was still as the jeep continued into the night.

Heart pounding, Padmé chanced a look at Anakin. He stared back in disbelief before giving her a relieved grin. She laughed breathlessly and released her grip on Ahsoka.

“I am so done,” Ahsoka panted, “with this tour.”

Padmé couldn’t help but agree.

**Author's Note:**

> [come talk to me about dinosaurs in space on tumblr](http://cptnjimmy.tumblr.com/)


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